Electrical conduit.



. J. s. WHEELER;

ELECTRICAL CO NDUIT. APPLICATION FILED NOV, 19, 1912.

1,088,31 1 Patent ed Feb. 24, 1914,

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unrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEROME SCHOFIELD WHEELER, OF'GUELPH, ONTARIO, CANADA.

ELECTRICAL ,CONDUIT,

Specification of Letters:Patent.

Patented Feb. 24, 19114.

Applicationfiled November 19, 1912. Serial No. 732,205.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEROME -S. WHEELER, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing at Guelph, in the Province of- Ontario and Dominion of Canada,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Conduits, of which the following is a specification, such as w1ll enablethose skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a method of making insulating conduits for electrical conductors which consists in longitudinally and transversely scoring a ribbon of fiber, forming the same into a tube with the edges ofsaid ribbon' abutting, covering said tube with fibrous strips helically wound with the edges of successive turns spaced from each other, protecting the same with a suitable fabric covering and saturating the covered tube in a suitable compound which passes through the fabric and between the successive splral turns of the fibrous strips to form said ribbon, strips, and fabric covering into a unit.

My invention is fully set forth in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, 1n which the separate parts are designated by the same reference characters in each of the views, and in which Fi ure 1 is a side view of a section of my conduit, in its presentpreferred form of embodiment, showing the constituent elements and method of manufacture; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section, greatlv enlarged, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and F ig. 3 is a similar view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings forming a part of this application I nave shown a sectionof conduit formed of a plurality of superlmposed parts or elements, the inner of which, core a, is formed of a IlUbOIl of suitable material arranged longitudinally of the conduit, and of a width permitting 1ts being formed into a perfect circle of a predetermined diameter, over a mandrel or equivalent, in such man ner that the longitudinal edges abut upon each other. After the core has been so formed into a tube, by means of suitable machines, one or more strips 1), two being shown in the drawings, are wound helically about the core, the winding mechanism be ing timed to insure a definite space between successive wii'idings, shown at 6 and,

after such windings, the fabric a is braided or woven thereover, the protected tube so formed being then immersed in a suitable fire and water-proofing compound which passes through the fabric covering and between the windings of the strip or strips 6 and serves as a binder to hold the core, strips, and fabric together, but no compound passes to the core interior because of the closely abutting edges of the ribbon forming the same. The conduit is now to all intent completed, but I prefer to deposit powdered mica or suitable equivalent to give it a better appearance and also to render it more cleanly in handling, but this is not novel with me and it forms no part of my invention.

In practice I prefer to provide the ribbon of the core a with a pluralitv of longitudinally arranged grooves, preferably .close together, as shown at a whereby the ribbon may be more readily formed into a tube without injury thereto, and I also prefer to form suitably spaced transverse grooves a which permit a degree of flexibility in the completed conduit, these being merely corrugations, and not scorings intended to weaken the core, but merely press the material closer ,at the points of grooving in stead of cutting the. material, and I prefer to perform these results upon the ribbon of the core just previous to the conduitformation, simultaneously and by means of suitable machines which give a basis for subsequent applications for patents, this being.

ments and which is possessed of considerable flexibility and, while I have shown the longitudinal grooves upon the outer side of the core, it will be obvious that this is capable of reversal, and'other changes in and modifications of the details shown may be made. within the scope of the following claim and,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The method of making electrical conduits, comprising the forming of a fibrous ribbon into a tube with the side edges of said ribbon abutting, winding a fibrous strip helically around said tube in such manner as to space successive turns, one from another, protecting said strips and ribbon with a fabric covering and then saturating the conduit so formed in a suitable compound which serves to bind said ribbon, strip,-and fabric covering into a "unit by passing through said fabric and between said spiral turns of said strip, and also sealing the abutting edges of said ribbon.

Invtestimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in 10 presence of the subscribing witnesses this 30th day of October, 1912.

JEROME SGHOFIELD WHEELER. Witnesses:

WILLIAM YOUNG,

WILLIAM H. LYNcH. 

